.jpeg)
The weather in the north is a bit colder than in the capital. It doesn’t snow all year round, but winters are long and summers are short.
Even the summer that does come is more pleasantly cool than hot.
Summer.
The sky, an endless blue, and sunlight streaming through occasionally scattered white clouds.
Under that clear and pleasant sky, there were two people.
"... What should we do? I keep glancing over."
"Watch your eyes. You might catch the Duke's gaze."
The maids passing through the garden muttered in a hushed tone.
They had to struggle to keep their eyes from drifting towards the two people.
But despite their efforts, their eyes kept sneaking over to them.
The Duke and his wife, who were plowing the land in strikingly colorful pants.
It was truly unbearable.
When the Lady, who had been in seclusion, suddenly announced she would tend the fields, it was shocking. The Duke himself joining the farming work was so surprising it nearly made them faint.
And now, seeing them working in such extraordinary pants...
"After being surprised every time, I think I’m getting a bit numb to it."
"Yes. It seems... Both of them are warm and pleasant to look at."
The people of the Richter estate chose rapid adaptation over shock and horror.
It felt like they could handle anything that happened with ease.
Today, the Duke was peaceful once more.
"I’m glad I lived long enough. I never imagined I’d see the Duke in such clothes. Ha ha."
"Stop with the nonsense."
Balthan chuckled with pleasure as Dante headed towards the bathroom, replying gruffly.
Who would have thought the Duke would wear such clothes?
It was both fascinating and delightful to see this after having never seen it during his childhood.
The curse and untimely death.
The monster hunter.
A bloodline born with misfortune.
A child trapped in negative descriptions was far from his age.
Most of the people of the Richter family were like that, as if temperament were hereditary.
In the time of the former Duke, Oscar, there was occasionally some sign of a childlike demeanor, but after Oscar's death and Dante's rise to Duke at a young age...
"The poor soul."
Balthan liked Dante as he was now.
He liked seeing Dante not grumbling about the ridiculous pants his wife gifted him and engaging in activities other than being holed up in his office all day.
So, the Lady must get her health back.
A deep furrow formed between his brows.
But it was brief. At the sound of the bathroom door opening, Balthan quickly managed his expression.
"Are you still standing there?"
"Staying seated too long makes my bones ache. I need to get up occasionally."
"If you’re feeling unwell, call a doctor. Don’t just endure it."
The brusque concern was kind.
Balthan smiled contentedly again. However, the smile did not last long.
"... What is this?"
Dante, shaking his wet hair, discovered a letter on the desk.
Balthan, who had placed the letter there, could only stiffen his expression.
Dante’s face also grew stern.
Though his expression didn’t change much, the anger in his eyes was palpable.
Dante reached out and picked up the letter.
The letter was sealed with the royal seal.
"Did this arrive today?"
"Yes, it did."
Dante glanced at the calendar.
So it’s already that time.
He slowly rubbed his brow with his long finger, though he couldn’t prevent his furrowed brow.
What a repugnant situation.
The mood, which had been fairly good, instantly plummeted.
The way Dante handled the letter with irritation made Balthan ask.
"Are you not going to open it?"
"I don’t need to. It’s obvious what it contains."
Indeed. The content was predictable without needing to check.
It had been nearly half a year since the marriage.
If the royal family contacted them around this time, it could only mean one thing.
"To see if the dogs they’re raising are breeding well, right?"
Balthan only closed his eyes, refraining from adding anything.
Though the words were sharp, they were accurate.
As expected, the letter would probably be a notice that some royal family member would be visiting.
The royal family, obsessed with the Richter family, worried that the Duke, marked with negative labels, might not marry.
Thus, they not only arranged matches but even monitored married life.
What they were monitoring wasn’t whether the couple got along well.
It was whether ‘there were signs of successfully having a child.’
Of course, outwardly it was disguised as congratulations, but it was clear that this was a form of surveillance and intimidation.
"Still, you should check the contents. You need to be prepared for any unexpected situation."
Balthan knew this as well but, as a loyal servant, couldn’t help but advise.
Dante glared at the letter and Balthan for a moment before taking the letter with visible displeasure.
The envelope was ripped apart in his hands.
The letter was torn in half as well.
Dante casually held the torn pieces together and skimmed through the content.
"How unsurprising. They insist on visiting to offer congratulations even though we didn’t invite them. They’ve even set the date, so there’s no avoiding it."
His voice was calm, but the anger couldn’t be concealed.
Six months after the marriage, and they’re still congratulating him.
Moreover, setting the date themselves, without considering the situation here at all.
Well, from their perspective, he was merely a hunting dog with a leash.
Just like his brother, father, and grandfather. Many ancestors before him.
Only the dogs on the leash had changed slightly.
"Should we inform the Lady?"
"... Inform my wife?"
"Yes. Traditionally, hosting guests is the wife’s responsibility."
How could such a dreadful presence exist?
The royal family was already annoying, but their intent to trouble the sick person made it even more detestable.
"Is it really necessary? I think we can just prepare roughly."
"It’s not a problem if that’s what the Lady wishes. However, if you intend to bypass informing her, I would oppose that. It would be an act of ignoring her."
Though the tone was gentle, it had an edge.
Dante, after contemplating, sighed and nodded.
"... Then I’ll tell her myself."
"Yes. I’ll take note of that."
With a polite reply, Balthan left the room.
Dante, left alone, crumpled the letter in his hand with force.
Feeling dizzy, he leaned against the backrest and tilted his head back.
He recalled the face of the old Emperor who still firmly held his position despite the Richter family’s head changing three times.
"I’m sure he’s looking forward to leaving behind a fine successor. Shouldn’t the great name be carried on? He must hope for the warrior’s bloodline and glory to endure forever."
A fine successor.
Great name.
Warrior’s bloodline.
Warrior’s glory.
He knew these empty terms were just another name for a hunting dog.
A hunting dog with a tight leash.
No, perhaps treated like a breeding horse.
Surveilling from time to time, and treating the duty of having a child as an obligation.
He couldn’t afford to throw away the duty, even though he wanted to, for the sake of the safety of the north and the Empire.
He had known since childhood that their threats were not related to the danger from monsters.
If the Richter family ignored their duties, the royal family would step in and take people’s lives as hostages.
Blaming all the responsibility on the Richter family.
Dante had to make a choice.
To be a hollow hero or a devil who abandoned the safety of the Empire and the north.
He wanted to be a devil, but too many lives were at stake for that.
No.
Even to protect the families of those who had lost their lives fighting monsters, he couldn’t abandon this duty.
"Disgusting."
The years under the tight leash had become history.
To Dante, the royal family had become a master worse than an enemy.
Especially, the disgust he felt was even greater.
"Foolish. Sorry, but I never loved your brother. Who could love a cursed human?"
There was a woman who had been a close friend for a long time, treating them without prejudice.
"You’re the same, Dante."
Knowing how good she was, when she became engaged to his brother, he was overjoyed and congratulated them.
He thought his brother might avoid the disgraceful marriage that matched breeding horses.
But.
"No woman will ever love you. So don’t even dream of love. It would be for your own good. I’m advising you as a once-close older sister."
Perhaps the real curse was that.
Seeing it so vividly embedded in his heart for years without fading.
The news of her becoming the 1st Prince’s lover came just a month after she left his brother and him.
His brother, hearing the news, took his own life soon after.
"Sorry, Dante."
The powerless apology was his brother’s last words.
Dante, who had loved his brother and had the courage to love and be loved taken away, never learned to hate the royal family.
A deep sigh arose and dispersed with solitude.
.jpeg)